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Former University of Florida and NFL quarterback Tim Tebow has arrived in Port St. Lucie, and the Mets prospect will host a press conference Monday morning at the team’s First Data Field complex.

Tebow, who worked out Sunday and will do so again today, will participate in minors camp, but the Mets are planning to use him in Grapefruit League games over the next month.

A vendor outside of the main stadium on Sunday was selling shirts with Tebow’s name and number, and his shirt was the only one being sold among all of the team’s prospects.

“I know he’s a winner. That’s going to mean a lot in that big clubhouse with young kids over there. I wish him the best in spring training,” said Mets Manager Terry Collins, whose team beat visiting Detroit, 5-2, on Sunday with Michael Conforto and Matt Reynolds each collected two hits. “When they tell me he’s had enough at-bats that he’s ready, I’ll bring him over. I think our fans should get a chance to see him.”

The Mets made the bold — and criticized — move to sign Tebow to a minor league contract last year, and the former Gators quarterback will now begin his preparation for a season in the team’s minor league system.

There are plenty of critics who do not believe Tebow will make it, considering his long layoff from baseball. Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson said the team believes he can be a baseball player. Tebow, 29, had last played organized baseball with Nease High School in Florida in 2005.

The Mets inserted Tebow into their Instructional League after signing him, and, in another criticized move, sent him to the Arizona Fall League to compete against some of the game’s prospects, such as the Yankees' top prospect Gleyber Torres. Unsurprisingly, Tebow did not fare well against established minor-leaguers, hitting .194 with a .296 on-base percentage and a .242 slugging percentage.

Tebow fanned 20 times in 62 at-bats, and he profiles as a corner outfielder.

Participating in spring training will help Tebow be better prepared for the regular season than he was for the AFL, and should afford him the chance to be more successful. It will also create a buzz at Mets camp due to his star power, and fans are going to want to see him in Grapefruit League games.

Collins seemed onboard with the idea, provided that team executives believes Tebow is ready for the opportunity, and he believes in giving the fans a product they will want to watch.

“This game is about our fans. It will always be about the fans, and this guy is a special person,” said Collins, whose team host Houston at 1:10 p.m. Monday at First Data Field. “He’s a tremendous athlete, has a huge name in the sports world. He’s in our organization trying to be a baseball player, and I’m not trying to take anything away from that. I salute him for what he’s trying to do.

“It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be very difficult.”

The manager indicated he will not keep a close eye on Tebow, since he has to worry about his own team, which is trying to recapture the NL East title after finishing second in 2016.

“We got enough veteran guys in there,” Collins said. “Tim Tebow is a star in his own right. Those guys, when he walks in our clubhouse, they will let him have it.

"Of course, he’s a little bigger than they are. It’s a tremendous clubhouse, and they will reach out and try to make him feel at home.”